I do not own The Hunger Games.
(A/N: Since no one freaked out over Prim….here's March.)
Chapter 9: MarchKatniss heard footsteps coming into the repair bays. She swallowed her annoyance – could whomever it was not read the signs posted about restricted access? She rolled out from under the car she was servicing and said, "I'm sorry, but this area is restricted to employees only…."
She stopped when she saw it was Peet. He was wearing a blue Mellark's t-shirt and jeans. His blonde hair was gleaming, he wore a sheepish half-smile and he was holding a Mellark's bag. She drank in the sight of him like water after a drought, then looked down at herself in her baggy jumpsuit that probably smelled like oil.
Peet rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I brought something for you."
Katniss looked at the bag. "What's the catch?"
Peet stammered, "I, well, I thought we could go sit outside and talk." When she didn't answer, he let the bag drop to his side. "I thought if I stopped acting so hurt, maybe we could be friends." His shoulders slumped when there was still no answer. "OK. Well, I'll go. I'll leave the bag here: no strings attached." He turned to go.
Katniss stared at the bag. "Peet, wait. I'm just…wait. Let me wash up. I'll meet you outside."
-o-
Thirty minutes later, Katniss patted her stomach. "Oh my God, that was so good. What was that?"
Peet licked a crumb off of his finger. "Test recipe – basically a white version of our seven layer bar."
"I don't even know what that is, but it's amazing." Katniss laughed.
Peet's gut tightened. He had missed the sound of her laughter. "This is shortbread crumbs and butter to make a crust, then I layered it with toffee, almonds, white chips and the whole thing is held together with sweetened condensed milk. We do a chocolate version that has a graham crust and chocolate, nuts and coconut. I thought this would be different."
"Peet, you are a genius."
Peet laughed. "Thanks. I bet Joahnna likes it. She goes crazy for toffee."
They sat in silence for a minute. Katniss twirled a piece of grass. "Did you mean what you said? About being friends?"
"Yeah." Peet looked at her. He swore she was thinner than she had been in December. All he wanted to do was hug her and tell her it was going to be ok. If she would meet him halfway…
Katniss looked back at the piece of grass. "You have so many friends. Why do you need one more?"
Peet knew he had to get this right. "Katniss, do you really think you're like my other friends? You're real in a way they're not. Even when we were fake dating, you were more real than fake. I told you once that you're the bravest person I know. That's still true."
She quietly asked. "Do you miss it? Our fake dating?"
"I miss spending time with you, yes." Peet congratulated himself on a cool and calm recovery.
She nodded, as if having a conversation with herself. "It's a deal, then. We're friends." Katniss brushed off her hands and held one out. "Shake on it, Mellark?"
-o-
A freak storm rolled through Southern California the last Saturday in March. Prim stayed in, Haymitch got drunk and the three of them watch old action movies and ate popcorn: it was almost like old times. Katniss was restless because she had not been able to leave the house all day. Even thought she was pleasantly tired, she vowed that the next day she would get out of the house no matter what.
"Katniss?" Prim said quietly in the dark.
"Yeah?" Katniss said, yawning and listening to the rain pound the roof.
"Thanks for today. I know things have been weird between us. I love you, though."
"I love you too, little duck. Now let's go to sleep."
Katniss was running through the rain. She was not sure where she was going, only that she needed to keep running. She was cold and could feel the rain running down her t-shirt, soaking her shorts. Her braid slapped her back heavily and the water in her eyes made it difficult to see. She could feel the breath hitch in her lungs, the burn of the exertion in her side. She was beginning to panic. Indeed, she could feel the bubble of futility building inside her – why couldn't she get to where she needed to be? Where did she need to be?
Suddenly, saw Peet in the distance. She knew that she needed to be there, with him. No matter how fast she ran, it seemed like she could not catch up to him and she began to cry, her tears mingling with the rain streaking her cheeks. She stopped running and just stood in the rain, listening to it hitting the ground, letting it hit her skin. She raised her face to the sky and let it wash away her tears. Her pulse quieted, her breath returned.
She felt wet, warm arms wrap around her and opened her eyes to a familiar blue Mellark's t-shirt. The shirt was plastered to Peet's chest, defining the muscles in his chest and arms. His eyelashes were spiky, his hair plastered to his head. He leaned his forehead against hers so that water washed over them both. He said her name quietly, reverently. She tugged his head to hers and their lips clung. The water sluiced around them, melding them together until it was impossible to tell where one stopped and the other started.
His hands streaked under her shirt, pulling it away from her body, giving her goose bumps. She responded by arching into his hands and letting hers roam the plane of his back, skimming underneath his shirt. The smell of his skin replaced that of damp earth around her as she reveled in the smoothness of his skin.
He broke the kiss, breathing heavily. "Katniss, is this real or not real?"
She woke up with the word "real" on her lips and a deep sense of loss clinging to her. She curled into a ball hugging her pillow, wishing it were a warm, blonde haired boy with eyes the color of a stormy sea. She listened to the rain hit the roof for a long time afterward.
The next day proved frustrating: Katniss left the house before sunrise, hoping for some good shots. The rain had lightened to a drizzle and she made good time getting to the beach, noticing the choppy waves and scoping out some surf hitting rocks. She carefully scrambled on the slick rocks, looking for just the right balance or contrast, thinking that, if only light would improve, she could finally get some really good stuff. She cursed the fact that there were no animals out and the poorly lit landscapes would show weakly at best.
Katniss was getting ready to pack it up and go home when the skies darkened and opened up in a downpour. She was standing by the 13th street cliffs, trying to decide on an angle for a rock photo when suddenly she could barely see in front of her. She quickly shielded her camera with her sweater and then stowed it safely into her backpack. Now what? It's too far to go back to the house. She made a quick decision and bolted for Peet's house.
Peet woke to the sound of tapping on the sliding doors. At first he thought it was just the rain, but he realized that the sound was too insistent for it to be part of the weather. He sat up on the couch where he slept most nights, ran his hands through his spiky, sleep mussed hair and grabbed his shirt. He slid it over his head as he tried to make out who the soaking wet shadow at the door was.
"Katniss?" He slide the door open and hurried her inside. "You're soaked. Let me go get you a towel."
Peet came back from further inside the dark house and handed her a towel. "You should take off that wet stuff. Take off your shoes and socks and leave them with your backpack by the back door. I'll go get you a change of clothes and put it in the bathroom down here so you can change."
He frowned and grabbed her hands as she continued to stare at him. "You're cold. Let me help you." He grabbed the towel and started to dry her hair.
Peet sleeps without a shirt. Katniss kept picturing him walking toward the sliding door, arms raised over his head as he slid his shirt on. It was better than her dream. She swallowed audibly. When he took her hands, they were warm and when he took the towel and started drying her off roughly, she just stood there, dumbfounded.
She let him lead her to the downstairs bathroom. She heard him instruct her change her clothes and he would make her some least, she thought that was what he said. She just kept picturing his spiky hair, muscular chest and shoulders.
She pulled on the clothes he had left for her. They smelled like him – like flour and sugar and warmth. The shirt was a well-worn Mellark's t-shirt shirt that had seen better days and the pants were gray sweatpants that dwarfed her small frame. She ended up rolling the pants up and tying the drawstrings as tightly as she dared. Still, the shirt tried to slip off of one shoulder. She grimaced at herself in the mirror when she saw her reflection.
-o-
"You want to tell me what you were thinking, Everdeen?" Peet handed her a cup of tea after taking her clothes and putting them in the dryer. He wanted to be angry at her, but she was just too adorable in his clothes. She had taken her hair out of its braid and toweled it off, so he was having a hard time keeping his hands from tangling in it, just to see how it would feel.
She stared at the tea, watching the steam rise, quietly blowing across the surface.
He surveyed her carefully. "Katniss, are you ok? Did something happen? You haven't said two words since you got here and you're really scaring me."
She took a sip of tea and closed her eyes. "I'm ok."
"You don't seem ok." His brow furrowed.
"I was cooped up all day yesterday and just couldn't stand it. I thought the weather was clearing. You know how So. Cal. Rain is – it never lasts long." She gave him a halfhearted smile.
"The news said this is a winter storm – I think you just caught the eye of it. It's supposed to rain all day."
"Oh." Her smile slipped. "Well, I'm sorry I woke you."
He laughed shakily and ran a finger through his spiky hair. "I'm not. I still have nightmares."
"I didn't get much sleep last night either." The way she said it without looking at him made him wonder what had kept her awake.
Peet looked out the back door at the gray and wet skies. "Ok, let's do this: let's rest on the couch for a little bit. We can have breakfast and then I can drop you off when I head to the bakery for my shift. Sound like a plan?"
Katniss nodded and took a seat on the couch, sipping her tea. He silently offered her a blanket. Do I risk it? he thought. In the end, he sighed and held out his arms to her. She went into them without a word and snuggled into his side. They sat quietly and listened to the rain.
Katniss laughed a little under her breath. "Good thing for me that you were asleep on the couch."
"I still sleep here almost every night."
"Why? Do you watch late night TV or something?" Katniss looked up at him.
Peet shifted uncomfortably. "I like being close to a door. In case she comes in the front, I can make it out the back. I even keep a gym bag out there with a change of clothes and some other necessities. I should probably bring it in so they can dry." He looked down at her and smiled, hoping she did not think he was too pathetic. When she smiled back and reached around him to hug him, he pulled her in tighter.
Peet knew he was dreaming: he had to be in order to feel hands drawing circles on his skin or warm breath hitting he underside of his jaw. Likewise, he felt warm skin under his own hands. He flexed his fingers and gripped more tightly, drawing the warm body towards his and refusing to let go. That was when he realized that he was awake, that the body he had just pressed tightly against his own was Katniss's, that they had their hands on each other's bare skin and that he was in an embarrassing state of arousal because of it. Did he move her and hope that didn't wake her? Did he leave her alone and hope that she didn't notice?
He swore silently as he felt her hands shift even further up his back. Sure, he had fantasized about this. He had just never imagined that Katniss would be curled up next to him, unconsciously touching him and driving him wild. He was going to need a cold shower soon.
-o-
Katniss started to surface as soon as someone moved the warmth away. She unconsciously burrowed her hands further into the warmth, growling in protest as it moved away. She opened her eyes to find Peet's blue ones looking at her intently. Without thought, she stroked her hands up and down the soft skin of his back while watching his face. His eyes darkened with desire and then closed.
He gently pushed her further away, then sat up with his head in his hands, breathing hard.
Katniss felt close to tears.
"God, Katniss. Are you trying to kill me?"
"I don't know what happened." Yes, you do. The dreams you keep having happened. His soft skin happened. The thought of him touching your bare skin - and then doing it - happened.
The dryer buzzing interrupted the silence. "I'll go grab your clothes. Do you mind if I take a quick shower before we go?"
-o-
Peet stopped the car in front of her house, the wipers sounding very loud. Neither of them had spoken much since that awkward exchange on the couch.
"Katniss, about what happened back there…"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go so far."
Katniss felt her heart hurt at the rejection.
"It's ok, Mellark. You don't need to tell me that I was out of line touching you like that. I know that we're supposed to be friends and nothing more."
Peet shook his head. "It's not really that."
"You pushed me away." Katniss stared out the window playing with her hair.
He sighed. "Katniss, look at me."
She slid a glance to the side, barely meeting his eyes.
"I stopped you because, when a girl you like is touching you and you are touching her, things happen.Y You just…you have no idea the effect you have." Peet's face turned red.
Katniss stared at him and then finally caught on. She had that effect on Peet? She smiled shyly and cleared her throat. "Should we…Should I regret it?" Katniss asked.
"No. Although I wish that I hadn't been asleep for most of it." Peet grinned sheepishly.
Katniss opened the car door and leaned in to grab her bag. She surprised even herself by saying, "Well, maybe next time you'll be awake, Mellark." She slammed the door and ran inside, too embarrassed to look back and wave.
His look of hopeful surprise made her day bright, despite the rain.